Ah, The BRIT Awards. We’ve missed you. No, honestly, we have – we love your performances, your jokes and the endless parade of musicians that grace your red carpet. We’re not so happy about the fact that we STILL haven’t been invited, but we’ll let that go (again). We’ve tried to predict who’ll be the winners of the major awards tonight – do we think it’ll be a good night for alt-J, or are we tipping Jake Bugg? Read on…
British Male Solo Artist
The Nominees: Ben Howard, Calvin Harris, Olly Murs, Richard Hawley and Plan B.
Our prediction: Olly Murs
We really do think that it’s the year of the Murs. Since last year’s BRITs he’s had a number one single AND a number one album – pair that with the fact that he’s one of Britain’s hottest TV presenters and you end up with a BRIT award for Mr. Murs. Ben Howard’s an undeniable talent, but we simply can’t see him walking away with the gong when faced with such a bombastic group of pop titans. Let’s face it, we all want Richard Hawley to win (even if it’s purely for the fact that we might get to see the Queen’s t*ts – give this a read) but we just can’t see it happening. Sorry Richard.
British Breakthrough Act
The Nominees: alt-J, Ben Howard, Jake Bugg, Jessie Ware and Rita Ora.
Our prediction: Jake Bugg.
We’re torn between Jake Bugg and Rita Ora for this one. Bugg’s probably been the biggest rags-to-riches story of the past year, but the BRITs usually lap up the sort of loud club/pop that Ora has been producing so steadily over the past twelve months. We’re tipping Bugg for victory, purely for the fact that Two Fingers was a TUNE. He also seemed to spring out of nowhere, which is kind of the point of a Breakthrough act. So yeah, go Jake.
British Female Solo Artist
The Nominees: Amy Winehouse, Bat for Lashes, Emeli Sandé, Jessie Ware and Paloma Faith.
Our prediction: Emeli Sandé.
We think that this one’s pretty obvious. Emeli Sandé’s been EVERYWHERE in the past twelve months (you couldn’t watch the Olympics without her popping up out of nowhere and singing Read All About It) so we’d be SERIOUSLY surprised if, say, Bat for Lashes got the nod ahead of Sandé. The thing is though, she’s a genuine and serious talent – it’s rare for a songstress to have such an impact on the charts and she’s amazing live, so any nod from the BRITs would be well deserved. Add in the fact that she’s a previous winner of the BRITs Critics’ Choice Award and we really can’t see this award going to anyone else.
British Group
The Nominees: alt-J, Mumford and Sons, Muse, One Direction and The xx.
Our prediction: Mumford and Sons.
You can never rule out One Direction (we’re fairly sure that Harry Styles’ hair has some sort of magic power that can control the minds of awards committees) but we’re convinced that Mumford and Sons will walk away with the British Group award. They’ve properly cracked America and their last album topped charts around the world. Pair that with some great tunes and a collection of cool waistcoats and you get the winners of the BRITs Best British Group Award 2013.
British Live Act
The Nominees: Coldplay, Mumford and Sons, The Vaccines, The Rolling Stones and Muse.
Our prediction: Mumford and Sons.
We could see any one of the bands nominated walking away with the (rather funky) award this year – The Rolling Stones could get the nod for status alone, and Muse have got more Best Live Band awards than we’ve had hot dinners. However, Mumford and Sons are one of the best live bands we’ve seen in the past year so we think it’s only fair for them to win this one. Anyone who saw them on their recent run of UK dates (especially in one of the smaller theatres they played in the first half of the tour) can vouch for the fact that the folk-rockers have got SERIOUS live chops. The fact that they’re being moved up to festival-headliner status when they’re only on their SECOND album shows just how formidable they are as a live act. If the Mumfords don’t get it we think it’ll be Coldplay – their stadium shows (and THOSE flashing wristbands) are a textbook example of how to put on a live show.